Important Notice Regarding The August 2008 Primary Election

"As the August 2008 Primary Election quickly approaches I want to make sure our voters are aware of some unique circumstances," says Scott Doyle, Larimer County Clerk & Recorder.

What you need to know about the 2008 August Primary Election:

• NO presidential candidates (This will not be a presidential primary.)
• NO contested races (There is only one candidate for each race.)
• Mandated by State Law (We must hold the election, even though there are no contested races.)

"I want to make sure no one has the misconception that this August is a Presidential Primary Election," adds Doyle. There will be NO presidential candidates on the August ballot. In Colorado, presidential nominees are selected by pledged delegates from the two major political parties.

In addition, Larimer County will have NO contested races in the August Primary Election. This means that, on every ballot, no matter where the voter lives in the county, there is only one candidate for each race. Why hold an election if there are no contested races? State law requires that the county still conducts the election, even though the outcomes are foreseeable. The County Clerk & Recorder does not have the legal authority to cancel the election.

With no presidential candidates and no contested races, turnout is expected to be low. The 2004 Primary had a 30% turnout, and the 2006 Primary had an 18% turnout. Both of those elections had contested races.

Despite all this, Doyle does not want to discourage participation. "Our goal is to comply with state law and minimize costs, while still giving voters convenient options for casting their ballots," says Doyle. In this effort, we are encouraging mail-in voting. Mail-in voters will receive their ballots approximately thirty days prior to the election. Unreturned ballots will have no effect on the voter's registration status.

In addition, we will reduce the number of locations for early voting and Election Day voting to three:

Early voting will be open August 4^th through August 8^th, from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Election Day vote centers will be open from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. on August 12^th.

Voters who choose not to vote in the Primary Election will not be disqualified from voting in the November Presidential Election. The last day to register to vote for the Primary Election is July 14^th.

The last day to request a mail-in ballot if the ballot is to be mailed to the voter is August 5^th.